


(You Don't Have) All The Time In The World

by TooManyBooksToRead



Series: Fake Maes AU [9]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Envy/Roy Mustang is implied, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24449887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooManyBooksToRead/pseuds/TooManyBooksToRead
Summary: The worst part was definitely that it felt like a place he'd go on an actual date to.With the secret out in the open Envy pushes some lines.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Roy Mustang, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Envy & Roy Mustang, Envy/Roy Mustang
Series: Fake Maes AU [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625317
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	(You Don't Have) All The Time In The World

**Author's Note:**

> This one took me a while but I'm really happy with it. 
> 
> (:

The restaurant was nice, a quaint family business owned by a nice Drachman couple.

The decoration was sober, the smell of spices permeating the air. It was the kind of place Gracia would’ve chosen for a date, but the one his arm wasn’t Gracia.

Envy led him there the whole way from Central Command, they didn’t stop for anything or anyone, it was annoyed, too annoyed to keep up the act properly, he could tell. It wasn’t like Hughes to leave without saying his goodbyes, it wasn’t like him to choose this type of restaurant.

He doesn’t know why he kept expecting it, even if he knew he – no, it, he had to remember that, _it_ – wasn’t Maes. Maybe, he traitorously thought, it’d gotten so good at _being_ Maes that having it do things so unlike Maes felt out of place.

It was jarring, how it had settled so thoroughly into Maes’ skin that it felt _unusual_ for it to _not_ act like him. It scared him. What if he _hadn’t_ noticed during those first days? What if he hadn’t picked up on it while it was sloppy and had simply never noticed it?

The fear lingered, it stayed with him until it mixed with his guilt and his anxiety into a horrifying cocktail of all the emotions he refused to acknowledge. It squeezed the air out of his lungs and made him feel tense and uncomfortable as they walked hand in hand away from the brothers.

He wouldn’t mind having lunch here. Gracia’s sweet smile and Maes’ quiet chuckles as they fought over the menu flickered through his mind, the serene image shattering as a cold hand made contact with his shoulder only to settle around his waist. He forced himself not to shiver, not to flinch away from the touch, it noticed his discomfort.

That was another thing he despised, how good he’d gotten at reading the monster beside him. He didn’t regret it, as long as it kept his family safe he wouldn’t regret it, but it was an awful feeling, to see his best friend’s face and see two completely different languages at the same time. To look at his smile the same as always but still notice the malicious gleam in his eyes, to hear the amusement in his voice when it recalled something _interesting_ , to notice the way it looked vaguely disgusted when they were alone together.

It was like learning Maes’ gestures all over again, cataloguing everything different and what it meant. Every new expression felt like a bullet through his heart, an affirmation of what’s lacking. It felt like losing him is so many ways.

But being sad about it wouldn’t bring Maes back nor would it keep him safe, right now what would keep him safe was following Envy to the secluded booth in the small restaurant.

The booth was hidden in the back corner near the kitchens, well lit despite the lack of windows and pointedly away from the service door waiters came in and out of. It was private, or as private as it was gonna get while they were in public. Roy felt grateful for that small mercy even as the cold of Envy’s skin settled into his bones.

“Let me get that for you darling,” it said, pulling his chair back. The one facing the wall, so his back was to the rest of the restaurant, no way to call attention to himself. Not like that was an option.

Envy then happily took the seat across from him, grinning as it waved down a waitress.

He let it order for both of them without a fuzz. Maybe he should be worried about it poisoning him, but the look on its face reaffirmed what he already knew, it had too much fun messing with him to kill him – right now at least. And the only thing he really wanted at the moment was alcohol, a lot of it, so it was much safer for everyone if he stayed sober, even if that meant letting it order their food.

He wondered what the brothers needed to do so urgently, even if he was grateful they got away before it took an interest in them. Everything would be much more peaceful if they knew how to keep themselves out of trouble, but they were the Elric brothers, trouble found them all the time.

He felt its gaze drilling holes into his skull and looked up, he couldn’t avoid what they were here for forever.

It dropped the smile, the nice one that Maes gave everyone because he was kind like that. Roy felt more comfortable now that it wasn’t wearing the expression like a mask anymore, it’d gotten particularly good at that smile, good enough to fool even people who knew the real thing.

“Shall we get down to business,” it leaned its head on its hands, “or would you rather wait for the meal dear.”

Roy braced himself as a smirk settled on its face.

Ed felt uneasy as he hung up the phone. Speaking to Winry had settled some of his nerves but even the soothing effect of hearing her voice was soured by the thought of Mustang. He clearly thought he had it all under control, had apparently been keeping it under control for a while now, but… Ed couldn’t shake the feeling that Mustang wasn’t okay, that leaving him alone with Envy had been a mistake.

“Anytime you feel like it would be fine dear,” he said.

“Clever mutt.” It chuckled. “Let us see how long you can keep it up.”

Something about abandoning Mustang with that _thing_ made his stomach churn. It wasn’t right.

It looked over his head at the restaurant then dragged its seat forward, “Gracia and Elicia are the sweetest,” it said with Maes’ enthusiasm, “don’t you wanna see some pictures of my girls, Roy!”

It had Maes down to a science, from the tone to the body language to the way it shoved the pictures in his face before he had any chance to respond.

Roy smiled and tried to ignore the lingering gaze as he took the pictures, there were the usual well-worn shots Maes carried everywhere but among them were several newer photos. The new pictures looked oddly worn for how recent they must be, there was one of Elicia wearing her new dress in the park and one of Gracia cooking with her back turned to the camera, all of them were of mundane actions, always of the girls with no trace of it there.

He looked at each picture carefully, making sure not to damage them as he turned them over to check the dates – _his handwriting too_ – he hadn’t seen the girls in so long (they’re a blessing as much as they’re a curse).

He could feel it watching him intently as he went through them one by one, it was excited, expectant. He apprehensively set aside another picture and looked down.

His heart stopped. “I took those from him yesterday,” he looked up from the bloodstain, “He was quite reluctant to let them go.”

He tried to draw deep breaths, to shove his horror back down to its box where it wouldn’t interfere. The sparkle of amusement on its face told him he hadn’t succeeded.

“Is he going to be alright?” Al asked on the way back to the hotel.

“Since this is our formal introduction why don’t we go over how this is gonna work dearest.”

Its hand settled on his wrist like a shackle, a too heavy weight pinning it to the table.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine Al,” she said as much for himself as it was for Al, “Mustang’s a tough bastard, he can make it through lunch.”

Below the table, its cold feet settled on his lap pinning him in place, beside him the waitress filled a pair of champagne glasses.

“But the night is young darling, so why don’t we take it slow?”

“Mustang will be just fine.”

It lifted its glass for a toast, “We’ve got all the time in the world.”


End file.
